Answer Angel: Colorful hair streaks?

Dear Answer Angel: Are blue-purple-pink-bright-red hair streaks still a thing? It seems I’m seeing a lot less of it recently, thankfully. I always thought it looked kind of Halloween-y.

So what should we do with our hair color now? Especially for older women who want to be stylish!

--Pamela J.

Dear Pamela: You’re right. Crayon-colored hair streaks are dwindling in popularity.

Yes, little girls in unicorn T-shirts still love them. Tweens, too, are holding onto the style. But among older kids and grown-ups, hair the color of cotton candy is on the decline. Even temporary, colorful clip-in hair extensions are not as popular as they once were. It used to be that some older women enjoyed perking up their look (especially their easier-to-color grays) with a bright streak or two. But today, not so much.

You ask about hair coloring trends now. For women of all ages, subtle variations in color are the thing, not a helmet of only one color but, rather, complimentary “natural” variations intermixed with a base of natural looking brown, black, honey blond, etc. Scroll the internet for photos of women whose hair color you admire.

Then comes the hard part: The key is finding a skillful colorist who will look at the photos and listen to you. Beauty salon hair color experts are treasures and not that easy to find -- but well worth the effort!

Speaking of fickle fashion…

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I live in a big city and one of my favorite pastimes is to people-watch. I love to see what people are wearing, especially on our boutique and higher-end shopping streets.

I’ve noticed that a lot of women who I think dress in creative, fashionable ways are wearing what look like Birkenstock sandals — the kind with two wide, buckled straps over the foot and no strap around the ankle. First of all, I have always associated these with a Bohemian kind of look, a la “hippies” in decades past, and not really high fashion. My mom, well into her 80s, swore by them. Are they back in style and considered fashionable?

--Alexandra L.

Dear Maya: Yes! Birkenstocks and their far more expensive designer look-alikes are everywhere.

Trendsetter celebrities have raised them to fashion status over the last few years, which explains why, high-end designer shoe brands have come up with variations on the originals. With this not surprising price twist, Jimmy Choo, Prada, Fendi and other designer look-alikes can cost $700 to $1500 and even more. Genuine Birkenstocks, especially the popular Arizona model, cost $40 to $150.

Whether you choose to wear the originals or the $$ ones, you’ll be in good company. Here are just a few of the familiar names — women and men -- who have sported the style: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jessica Alba, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Maya Rudolph, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Chrissy Teigen, Charlize Theron and Naomi Watts.

Angelic Readers

Kate G. writes, “Like your reader Mary S., I too was reluctant to wear dresses due to spider veins on my legs and feet. I found that Sally Hansen ‘Airbrush Legs’ is my savior (Target, drugstores, amazon.com, $10 and up). It comes in many shades, does not wear off on clothes and stays on until you shower it off. It's worth a try!” Carolyn V. says, “The best solution I've found is to wear knee-high nylons (for pants and long skirts) or pantyhose (for shorter skirts). The nylon fabric completely hides these flaws. But sadly, this solution does not work for shorts or swimwear.”

From Pam C.: “Leg makeup is amazing!!! Westmore Beauty Body Coverage Perfector is the best I’ve found. It comes in various shades but I prefer Natural Radiance. Application is easy, it dries quickly and is transfer-resistant. It’s also waterproof so you can wear it to the pool/beach. Please inform your readers about this amazing product! (qvc.com, $39; westmorebeauty.com, $49; amazon.com, $34.99).”

Reader Rant

From Susan W.: “Spandex…nearly all our clothes have spandex in them, which causes them to stretch and then get all out of shape permanently. Why? So that we have to buy new ones. I hate when an item I love becomes unwearable. Ban spandex!!!”